Do You Really Belong at the Next Level? ...

What happens when you finally reach the level you’ve been working towards… and instead of feeling proud, you start wondering whether you actually belong there?

In this episode of the Equestrian Performance Mindset Podcast, I and Lorna dive into the mindset challenges that can appear when you step up a level in your riding. After my recent four-star cross-country round, we reflect on everything that went into getting there, not just the result on paper, but the years of work, training, financial commitment, self-doubt, setbacks and sacrifices behind it.

We explore why riders so often compare their journey to someone else’s and create rules about what a “real” top-level rider should look like. Do you need to be a full-time professional? Have multiple horses? Follow the traditional route? Or is that simply a story you’ve created about what it means to belong?

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why reaching a new level can bring up feelings of “Do I really belong here?”
• The difference between your circumstances and your actual ability
• Why comparing your riding journey to other riders can undermine your confidence
• How to recognize the evidence that proves you are capable
• Why qualifications matter more than the story you tell yourself about whether you are “entitled” to be there
• Why stepping up a level can reveal gaps in your training, without meaning you don’t belong
• How a growth mindset changes the way you view mistakes and failure
• Why sometimes you have to “learn on the job”
• The danger of waiting until you feel like the rider at the next level
• How repeatedly performing at a new level helps your brain gather evidence that you belong
• Why the way you interpret your results and experiences matters just as much as the results themselves
• Making the most of the opportunities available to you rather than comparing your circumstances to someone else’s
• Why you shouldn’t measure your progress with somebody else’s ruler

Resources Mentioned:

Coaching & support: https://www.mindeq.eu/coaching

Weekly Hacks: https://www.mindeq.eu/weeklyhacks

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